Motown Signs Hawthorne
Signed to Motown Gospel, Grammy-nominated Koryn Hawthorne (The Voice finalist) releases Big Gospel this month (produced by J. White Did It - Doechii, Cardi B, Meghan Thee Stallion, etc.). Performing RIAA Platinum-certified “Won’t He Do It” at 2026’s ESSENCE Festival, she encourages positivity and confidence.
ASCAP Celebrates Gospel
Motown Gospel and The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) celebrated the best in gospel music at the Stellar Awards Nominee Mixer in North Carolina. With more than one million unit sold, the duo honored Grammy-winning ASCAP songwriter Tasha Cobbs Leonard with an RIAA platinum plaque for “Gracefully Broken.” 2026’s nominees for the annual celebration included JJ Hairston, Jovonta Patton, Kim Person, Mike Teezy, Nia Allen, Maurette Brown Clark, Brandon Camphor and One Way, Dante Pride, Stan Jones, William Murphy, and others. Details/winners at thestellarawards.com/
BMG’s Wolfmother Acquisition
Serving as his publisher since 2016, BMG acquires the publishing, recording, and neighboring rights of vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, Grammy-winning Wolfmother co-founder, Andrew Stockdale. Hundreds of millions of streams later, hits include “Woman,” “Joker and the Thief,” “Dimension,” “White Unicorn,” etc.
Kobalt Adds BRGR
Newly signed to global publishing, BRGR becomes the first Filipino-born producer to join Kobalt’s roster. Getting started with European EDM tracks and remixes on YouTube’s Trap Nation, BRGR is now a prominent producer, with hits including O Side Mafia’s “Get Low,” “Kunan Mong Pic,” “20 Deep,” “SMD,” “Crashing.”
MONDO NYC Returns
The Mondo music-tech conference returns to Brooklyn, New York this month for their 11th year, continuing in their mission to inform the music business, empower artists, and build community, while advancing the future of music. Combining curated business content and new music performances, uniting global music and tech innovators, entrepreneurs, emerging artists and their fans, the four-day event includes panels, round table discussions, meetups, happy hours and receptions, networking and musical showcases (across various NYC venues). Details and last-minute registration at mondo.nyc/conference.
BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Awards
Paying tribute to the best in R&B and Hip-Hop, BMI awarded NAS with the 2026 Icon Award (joining previous winners James Brown, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, and many others), while Kendrick Lamar with 2026’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year (for songs including “30 For 30,” “hey now,” “peekaboo,” “squabble up,” “tv off,” and “luther”). “Luther" (co-written by Kendrick Lamar, Matthew “MTech” Bernard, Atia “INK” Boggs, Sam Dew, Roselilah (BUMA), Mark “Sounwave” Spears and SZA (with Marvin Gaye sample from “If This World Were Mine”) received Song of the Year, having landed at #2 on the Billboard Year End Hot 100 songs chart for 2025 after spending 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Producer of the Year accolades went to O Lil Angel (for collabs with Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR), and Sony Music Publishing received Publisher of the Year, having represented 27 of the most performed songs of 2025 (including “Timeless,” “Like Him,” “Yukon,” “25,” and “luther”). Top BMI Producers and songwriters from 35 of the most-performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs across the U.S. from 2025 were also recognized (including 63 first-time winners). Details at awards.bmi.com/show/rnb-2026
Crow Receives Troubadour
Nine-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Sheryl Crow receives BMI Nashville’s Troubadour Award, recognizing her profound impact on American music and continuing commitment to songwriting excellence. Across decades and genres, Crow continues to inspire with authentic vulnerability.
Paul’s Jazz Money
Producer-instrumentalist Zacchae'us Paul releases Jazz Money Vol. 2: Swingin’ R&B. Dubbed ‘hood jazz,’ the sophomore album navigates love and death, blending modern jazz, Hip-hop and neo-soul. Follows NPR Music Essential Jazz list’s Jazz Money debut in 2024. Features Eric Wyatt, Keyon Harrold, Kebbi Williams.
Frederico7’s Brasileirôu
Brazilian-born Frederico7 releases Brasileirôu (following hit Exótico), with musicians from Austin and Brazil for Brazilian soul, jazz, chamber, Afro-Brazilian rhythm, and poetry. Producer/mixer Beto Martinez, arranger/orchestrator Pedro Dom, percussion maestro Luiz Coutinho brought the grassroots project to life.
Gorley’s Top Honor
Ashley Gorley named top Songwriter in Billboard Country Singles history for No. 1s within the weekly Top 40 and elsewhere on country charts from 1944-2025. Gorley has 182 hits, 148 Top 40s, 101 Top 10s, 85 No. 1s (Billboard & Country Aircheck) with 140 weeks total at No. 1.
Bucks’ Gregory & Aggy
As one of the U.K.’s longest-running independent, family-owned publisher (and a roster including David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, James Blunt, and more), Bucks Music Group has entered deals with Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory and singer-songwriter Aggy.
Gregory’s agreement covers work outside of Goldfrapp’s electronica, with credits including My Summer of Love and John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy (both alongside Alison Goldfrapp), theatre production Medea, and opera Piccard in Space. Television projects include BBC’s Serengeti, Spy in The Wild, Snow Chick: A Penguin’s Tale, AMC’s Soulmates, Amazon’s Chloe, Hulu’s Extraordinary, and he has theatre work with the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
With a blend of R&B, Afrobeat, Hip-hop, and classic soul stylings, singer-songwriter-artist Aggy has signed to Bucks for global publishing. Joining Alicia Keys for a duet on TikTok in 2021, Abby added a million likes and grew a following, with features in a Beats By Dr Dre campaign in 2023 (surpassing a million YouTube views), and appearing on JD Sports’ Who Did It? with Chunkz, AJ Shabeel and Max Khadar. Behind Closed Doors was released in July.
Nashville Songwriters HOF
The 2026 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2026 honorees to be inducted at a private ceremony later this month include Taylor Swift, Lyle Lovett, Bruce Channel, Shawn Camp and Lee Thomas Miller. After more than 50 years, the organization honors the best in the business, with Camp and Miller elected for contemporary writing, Swift in the contemporary songwriting/artist category, , Channel as the veteran writer, and Lovett as the veteran songwriter/artist. Further details at instagram.com/nashof_official
IAMA Awards Deadline
The 23rd Annual International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA) returns, recognizing excellence in acoustic music performance and artistry. Artist participants in various acoustic genres are eligible to win radio and web exposure, with an overall grand prize winner receiving $11,000 worth of merchandise and services. First prize for each category receives USD $900 worth of merchandise and services, with runner-ups in each receiving USD $600 worth. First prize and runner-up winners will each be given a track on an IAMA compilation CD (which is distributed to radio). Entries are USD $35 per song.
Deadline for submissions is early November, with details at inacoustic.com.
SUBLIME’S Diamond Certification
With 10+ million units sold, reggae-punk alt. rockers Sublime celebrate Diamond certification for 1996’s Sublime (frontman Bradley Nowell passed the same year). The influential SoCal music export had Nowell’s son Jakob join on vocals in 2023. Until the Sun Explodes out now; Sublime Reef Madness cruise next month.
SESAC Toasts Americana
Nominated for the Americana Honors & Awards’ Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Duo/Group of the Year Awards, SESAC extends congratulates to member affiliates Margo Price (Hard Headed Woman) and Mumford & Son. For a full list of nominees, visit americanamusic.org.
